Decorative concrete in Montrose, CO - color that stays even and holds up to wear
Tired of plain gray concrete? We help you pick a color method and finish that suit how you'll use the space and wear well.
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What is decorative concrete, and is it right for my patio or walk?
Decorative concrete in Montrose is concrete with color added, either mixed in at the ready mix plant, worked into the surface by the finishers or stained on, so your patio, walk or driveway looks finished instead of plain gray.
Most people call us because a gray slab looks unfinished next to the house, or because they're pouring new and want color from the start. The price moves with the size of the job, the color method you choose, the finish and sealer, and how much digging and base work the site needs. The schedule turns on the weather on pour day, any check with the city or county, and curing, the wait fresh concrete needs to harden before you use it. At the estimate I tell you what I see and what we'd do about each of those, so you know where the money goes. If you'd like a pattern pressed in as well, that's our stamped concrete work.
How do you know your colored concrete needs work?
Faded or blotchy color
The color has worn thin where you walk most, or one section never matched the next. That usually means the color sat only on top or the slab was poured in pieces that didn't line up, and waiting won't bring it back, because the worn surface just keeps getting thinner.
Surface flaking or peeling
Thin layers are coming off and gray is showing through. That usually points to a weak top from a rushed finish or poor curing, or to salt working on it, and every winter takes a little more until recoloring isn't enough and the slab has to come out.
Cracks across the pattern
Cracks wander through the color instead of following the grooves. That usually means the base settled or the joints were cut late or not at all, and once water gets in, the edges chip and the cracked piece tends to sink further.
How we build decorative concrete, from the base up
I start every job by asking how you'll use the space, because a walk by the back door and a driveway need different finishes. Color can go in with the mix, get worked into the surface or be stained on, and each asks something different of our crew, so I go over the trade-offs with you before you pick. Then we dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, and set the forms so water runs away from the house. Where the slab needs it, we add rebar, steel bars that hold the concrete together if it cracks. We pour early in the day because midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top, and once it's finished we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack instead of a random one. Then we let it cure before it's sealed, and we'll talk about how the sealed surface feels when it's wet before you settle on a sealer. If the budget gets tight, I'll tell you to save on the finish and keep the base, because a nice surface on a loosely packed base settles and cracks right along with the dirt under it.
Colored concrete often sits beside other work. If the yard drops away next to your new patio, we can hold the grade with concrete retaining walls that match its color, and for a shop, basement or addition, we can color the slab as part of concrete floor installation.
Color mixed into the whole slab
This suits you if you want one steady color all the way through, so a chip or a scuff shows color instead of gray. It takes less hand work on pour day than the other ways of coloring.
Color worked into the surface
This suits you if you want a deeper, richer color on top, the kind you notice on a front walk or patio. It takes more hand work from the crew, so who does the finishing matters more here than anywhere else.
Stain on new or existing concrete
This suits you if you like a mottled, varied look, or if your slab is still sound and you'd rather add color than tear it out. The stain soaks into the top of the concrete instead of sitting on it like paint.
Broom or smooth texture
A broom finish, the light ridges dragged across wet concrete, gives your feet some grip, so it's the one I'd pick for steps and walks. A smooth finish looks sleeker indoors or under a covered patio, but it gets slicker once it's sealed.
Get a free on-site estimate for your colored concrete
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a visit. I'll come out, look at your site and give you a free estimate on the spot, with no pressure to book.
(970) 964-6176- hello@montroseconcrete.com
- Based in
- Montrose, CO 81401
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call us about decorative concrete in Montrose?
Here's how a decorative concrete job runs, from your first call to the walk-through, and what you'll know at each step.
Call or send a message
Call (970) 964-6176 or use the form, and tell us the site address, a rough size and the color look you have in mind. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I walk your site with you
I look at the ground, ask how you'll use the concrete and go over the estimate with you line by line. You'll see what the base work, color method, finish and sealer each add, so nothing in the price is a mystery.
We check permits and prep
Once you're ready, we check with the office that covers your address, walk you through what it asks for and then prep the site. Pour day follows once that's settled and the weather suits.
We pour, finish and explain
Our crew pours and finishes with me on site, then we cut the joints and let the slab cure before sealing. Before we leave, I walk you through how to care for it.
Why Montrose homeowners call Montrose Concrete for colored concrete
I see your job through
I come out to look at the site myself, and I'm on site with our crew when the work gets done. The person who heard what you wanted is the one watching the color go down.
Pouring concrete since 2013
I spent every summer through school on a concrete crew, and we've been in business since 2013, based in Montrose and working in Montrose, Delta and the cities around them. That's 13 years of seeing which finishes hold up and which don't, and I'll tell you which is which.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured on the work we do at your house. If something goes wrong on your property, you aren't the one left carrying it.
Explained before we pour
I'd rather explain your job twice than have you surprised by it later, so you'll know why each joint and slope sits where it does. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
The color is what you'll look at every day, but the base under it decides how long it keeps looking right. Get in touch and I'll come out and look at your site.
Decorative concrete, walls and floors around Montrose
Who handles the permit depends on where your slab sits, so we check with the office that covers your address before we schedule anything. Inside city limits, the city's Building Services issues building permits, and on county ground, the Montrose County Building Department handles plan review and inspections. If any of the work reaches into the county right-of-way, the county wants a separate permit for each piece of work there, and adding or changing a driveway onto a state highway takes an access permit from the Colorado Department of Transportation or the local issuing authority. Whether a decorative patio or walk needs a permit on its own is a question for that office, so we ask, walk you through what it wants and help you sort out the paperwork when a permit is needed, keeping you posted along the way.
A lot of ground around here holds clay, and clay that dries out too much before the pour, or water left to pond near the house during and after the work, makes swelling soil worse. So we check how wet the site is before we pour and slope the finished slab away from the house, the same as we do on jobs around Montrose and in Delta.
Questions about decorative concrete in Montrose
What is the best way to choose a color method for a patio in Montrose?
Choose by how big the job is and how much the finishing crew's skill will carry it, because each method trades something. One color maker says color hardener takes more time, effort and skill from the finishers than integral color, and hardener that's poorly applied can later come loose in layers with weather and wear. The same maker notes integral color usually goes in at the ready mix plant, so the mix itself sways the shade and an even color is harder to hold across a larger project. One industry chart rates most acid and water based stains highly for sun and wear because they soak into the surface.
What causes decorative concrete to flake on the surface?
Flaking, called scaling, usually comes from concrete that isn't dense enough, a poor placing or curing job, or heavy use of deicing chemicals. Industry guidance says good, dense concrete with entrained air, tiny bubbles mixed in on purpose, along with good installing and curing practice and lighter deicer use, makes scaling less likely. Ask any contractor about the mix and curing plan before the pour, and I'll go through ours with you.
How do I care for new decorative concrete in its first winter?
Skip deicing chemicals for the first winter, then use them in moderate amounts after that, which is the industry guidance for new concrete. Salt is one of the things that leads to the flaking described above, so plan for lighter use from the start. Sand can give you grip on icy days without that risk.
Is sealed decorative concrete slippery when wet?
It can be. One sealer maker warns that its stamped concrete sealer can become slippery when wet, especially on smooth surfaces, so it's worth asking how slick a sealed surface will feel in rain or snowmelt. I'll show you how texture changes that, which matters most on steps and walks.
How much does decorative concrete cost in Montrose?
The cost depends on the size of the job, the color method, the finish and sealer, and how much prep your site needs, so I give you a number after I've seen it. Color worked into the surface takes more hand work than color mixed in, and tearing out an old slab adds labor and hauling. Call (970) 964-6176 and I'll come out and price it.
Can you stain my existing concrete patio instead of pouring new?
Often, yes, if the slab is sound, because a stain soaks into concrete that's already there. Stain won't hide cracks, sinking or flaking, so if your slab has those problems, a new pour usually makes more sense. I'll look at it and tell you which way I'd go.
Concrete work that often goes with decorative slabs
Concrete retaining walls
When your yard slopes toward a new patio or drive, a retaining wall holds the soil back and keeps it off the colored surface you paid for.
Concrete floor installation
If you're building a shop, basement or addition, a new interior slab gives you a flat, solid floor that can take color or stay plain gray.
Where we pour decorative concrete
Montrose Concrete is based in Montrose, Colorado, and works in Montrose, Delta and the cities around them. Those 2 cities have their own pages here, so start with the one closest to you.
Montrose, CO
Settle your color before pour day
Color and finish are hard to change once the concrete sets, so it pays to talk them through before anything gets poured.